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Orono Weekly Times, Wednesday, September 1, 1993*- 3 Blessings Midnight Madness Blessings Travel Centre in Bowmanville held their Midnight Madness Sale last Thursday evening. The sale gave possible vacationers the opponîunityto check out various holiday- packages for the upcoming winter season, from a number of popular holiday suppliers. Musical accompaniment and a BBQ was offered, as welh. Al Celebrating the lOth> Annveraryof Provincial Parks Earlier this year a folder of information arrived at the office relating to the Centennial cele- bration of Ontari*o's provincial park system which during the peniod has grown to 260 parks encompassing 63,000 square kilometers. 1Il ail started back in 1885' when a government- clerk sug- gested the setting aside a particuhar parcel of land in northern Ontario for a large park. Eight years latter in 1893 the province created Algonquin Park the beginning of the present day park system. The folder of information brought back some memories as bo Algonquin Park which would date back some 53 years ago when along with Bob Cooper, a former resident of Orono, we drove our first lent peg into the rocky site of a canoe camp site. 1Being teenagers at the lime and sitting on the bench infront of the barbershop in mid August we found that some boredom had set in. "What about a canoe trip in Algonquin?" It must have been a great idea for after a couple of phone calîs arrangements had be-en made to rent the canoe and other equipment. We hitch-hiked to Toronto where we caught the train to the park and spent seven days canoeing an eighty-five mile route. The thrill eveni for these îwo greenhornst has neyer been forgotten nor a number of folhow- up visits. When the family was growing up camping for 18 years took us over mnost parts of the province and into the Maritimes. It was the gueen's -Park Report from Gond iilîs, MPP Durhami East proceeds from the BBQ went,10 the Clarington Food Bank. Elizabeth Belanger- Linkietter, owner of, Blessi.ngs Travel, with the help of Katarina Sagan, from Regent Holidays, 'find a good hibernation destination for the M&M bear. The event coincided with owner Elizabeth Belanger- Linkletter's birthday. Happy birthday Elizabeth! renewal of driving tent pegs int the ground and watching kids play about in new surroundings and Sitting on half-cooked marshmallows at the campfire in the evening.> T'he first such event, some 35 to 37 years ago, saw us along with the S. B. Rutherfords pulling into the Martin River provincial park nordh of North Bay. The park had just opened and was nothing more than a field with a few campers along the river. That trip took us as far as Nipigon and over a rough, gravel Trans-Canada Highway. To think of it now and compare it with the roads we travel on in southern Ontario ih was certainly in the dark ages - rough and gravel for miles upon miles. There are a lot of memnories for week-ends and holidays at provincial parks and with this background we certainly are supportive of the provincial park program and what it has offered the residents of this province and all is visitors over the years. The foresighit of the provincial clerk in suggesting the develop- ment of the first provincial park in 1885 was what one would have to caîl a vision for dhe future. The provincial park system allows everyone to enjoy the natural features of this country and at a cost most can afford. Our hats off to dhe systemn that hias evolved over the years and brought so much pleasure to those who make use of the facilities. use the Classified Section 1 wîsh everyone who views Bill 79 (A n Act to provide Employment Equity for Aboriginal People, People wîth Disabilities, Members of Racial Minorities and Women) as some evil threat to young white maies, or some kind of reversed discrimination, could have sat along side me at the Justice Committee Public Hearings, at Queen's Park, last week. What unfolded there was indeed an eye- opener. First of aIl the hearings got off to a bad start when the Opposition Members on the sub-committee (they had the majority) voted not to have the committee travel to W indsor, Ottawa, Thunder Bay a nd Sudbury t o listen to presentations, and worse - allowed limited advertising that the hearings were only being conducted in Toronto. As a result, interested people outside of Toronto were hampered by not only flot knowing where the hearings were being held, but by the incurred travel expense. Despite this despicable tactic, the hearings were booked solid last week and again for this week, such is the overwhelming desire of the people to be heard. It was quite heart wrenching for me to see people from far off parts of the world, Who have chosen Canada as* their home, corne forward, in most instances full of nerves,' to explain to a group of MPPs why they see the provisions in Bull 79 their hope to obtain a fair chance to compete on merit for meaningful employment in Ontario. There was the young black women Who told us when she had applied for a job, she was told they wanted a "Canadian." She replied that she was a Canadian citizen, only to be told they wanted a "real Canadian." Another young women of colour, told of a potential employer Who said he was looking for someone with an "harmonious voice" meaning somneone without any foreign accent. A Sikh told us that he Was told that his headdress didn't suit the Canadian image of the company where he applied for employment, despite the fact he had a degree. We heard from a women from Sri Lanca, Who came to Ontario Il years ago with an Electrical Engineering Degree, Who then spent two years at the U of T, in a full time graduate program to obtain M.A. Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering, only 10 spend the next 7 years engaged in sessional jobs, unrelated, under employed, under utilized, under paid positions aIl the while tirelessly seeking a related position. I really felt most of ahl for a gentlemen from Afghanistan, driven out of hîs homeland through war,, Who came to Ontario 10 create a new life for his young wife and famihy. This man apologized over and over for 'taking up our time listening to him and the fact that even though he was a qualified architect and had learned to speak English since his arrivai here, found all the doors for meaningful employment closed in his face. Everyone Who came before the committee emphasized over and over, that they did not seek any favours or preferential treatment, aIl they asked was to be considered along with others seeking positions, strictly on menit. Two hundred years ago, Lord Simcoe, the Governor of Upper Canada proclaimed a piece of legislation that was perhaps as significant in those Urnes as Bill 79 is in our time. He signed an act outlawing the trading and possession of slaves in Upper Canada. At that time many were skeptical about the usefulness of such legislation and even, regrettably so, many were out rightly opposed to the legîslation arguing that it was "bad for business", it was a "do-gooder" act thaï had little chance of achieving anything for the victims of slavery, and even others wondered how the government of the day woulId cater for free slaves. While perhaps the overriding objectives, for Bill 79 may be social justice, 1 prefer to sec it in terms of the tremendous challenges faced by Ontario's economy. It is important to underscore the fact that some of these challenges, emanate from social policies and attitudes that marginalise sectors of our Society. The marginalisation of individuals and communities creates - unsafe living environments which, in turn, adversely affect investments and economic growth. It is safe to say that economic competitiveness cannot be achieved in a social environment where individuals or groups of people are forced to the margins of poverty by exclusions from employment opportunities brought about by systemic racismn and other forms of discrimatory practises. 1 know I've gone on a bit - but in the long run Bill 79 should benefit al. . . men and women alike, designated groups and the wider Community. it will, obviously, mean much more to those that encounter barriers and obstacles in participating meaningfully in employment. But in the long run it should benefit every citizen of this province. Nex t week -1I will tell you what the government is doing about heal th card fraud. Take car . .. Medium Cheddar $9.50/ kg SAVE $1.40/ kg Mozzarella $9.00/ kg SAVE $1.401 kg, Cheese Curd $8.75/ kg SAVE $1.121kg Hours: 9 - 6 Mon. - Thurs. & Sat. Hwy 1115, Newcastle 9 -9 Fri. 10-6 Sun. 987-4339 4' The -CLARKE CONNECTION, MORE THAN-A STORE' *A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE ONE 0F A KIND-HAND MADE CANADIAN CRAITS POTTERY - WOOD - SILKS - TOYS ANI) MUCH MUCH MORE MfAIN STREET ORONO 983-9314 TUES. -FRI.l1to 6, SAT9to 5 DJutcfi ~ Carpeinj CUSTOM HOME BUILDING RENOVATIONS "SmaII Jobs and Large l'il Take Charge" 1-705-277-2397 JOE H. LEYSTRA